Everybody Hurts
by EchoResonance
Summary: "There's nothing for you to be worried about." Truer words had never been spoken, and yet, can Soul overcome his fear so that he can believe them?
1. An Invitation

**_Okay guys, so this one is still having Harvar drama, but it'll probably be the last one for a while. R&R_**

"You're late," I said irately from the couch. Maka chuckled quietly and closed the front door.

"Sorry, Soul, I was hanging with Harvar. He showed me this new dance. I think he called it the salsa. Anyway, it was really fun."

"Yeah, well, while you were out having _fun_ with Harvar, your dinner got cold. You'll have to throw it in the microwave," I said sourly. Maka came over and bent down, trying to look me full in the face.

"Soul? Something wrong?" she asked concernedly.

"Yeah, somethin's wrong," I replied acidly. "I worked hard to cook dinner, planning on you being back _by seven_, like you _said_ you would be. Usually, when someone says they'll be back by seven, they don't mean nine forty-five."

Maka blinked, a look of surprise flashing through her eyes. Before I could congratulate myself for making her think, she looked down at her watch.

"Holy shit, I hadn't realized I was _that_ late!" she exclaimed. "Harvar said it wouldn't take long to learn that dance. Damn, I'm so sorry, Soul! I guess I just lost track of the time!"

I looked at her earnest face and heaved a great sigh. It was impossible for me to stay mad at Maka. Completely, totally impossible when those big, bright green eyes shone at me and made her look every bit the kicked puppy that she _wasn't_.

"Go get your food. It shouldn't be too bad microwaved," I said, waving her off.

She smiled and disappeared into the kitchen. I heard the sound of the microwave opening, then closing, then the beeps as she set the timer.

I sighed again, sinking deeper into the couch, trying to chase away the stabbing pains that attacked me whenever she mentioned Harvar. Why did she hang out with him so much? It's not like he was all that interactive. If he talked at all it was with that robotic tone that implied that absolutely nothing interested him. But those two had been hanging out together more and more recently, and it was bothering me. I didn't want to admit why. Hell, I'd barely come to terms with my feelings for her before she started hanging with Harvar again. And that spear sure as hell knew how _he_ felt. He never made any attempt to keep it a secret, although Maka still hadn't seemed to notice. Whatever; she was clueless.

The microwave beeped loudly; Maka jerked the door open and set her bowl on the counter with a loud _clank_. I winced at the sharp noise, but threw my poker face back on before she came in, holding a now-steaming bowl of ramen. She was smiling wryly.

"I can see how hard you worked over dinner, Soul," she chuckled, sitting down on the couch beside me. "Must've taken a lot of effort to open the package and stir the contents into water. Oh, and mixing that cheap seasoning in? Exhausting."

I rolled my eyes and bumped her with my shoulder. "Whatever, bookworm."

"Oh, whatever!" she laughed, bumping me back so hard that I fell over the arm of the couch.

I peered up, over the armrest, to see her trying hard not to laugh.

"Whoops. Sorry," she giggled, not sounding sorry in the least.

"You're lucky you've got food in your hands, or you'd be joining me down here," I bared my shark-like teeth.

A soft pink began to creep into her cheeks, and I felt my jaw hit the floor.

"Maka! You're not the one that's supposed to have dirty thoughts!" I exclaimed, falling back and laughing so hard that tears sprang into my eyes. "That's _my_ job!"

"Shut up, Soul!" she snapped, the pink in her cheeks deepening to a rosy red. "Coming from you, what was I supposed to think?"

My laughter subsiding into chuckles, I managed to rock back onto my feet and stand.

"That, Maka," I said, trying to mimic a serious tone, "is an excellent point, and yet…I still think that's hilarious."

I plopped back down on the couch, slinging an arm carelessly over her shoulders and reaching for the TV remote.

"Hey, Soul?" said Maka after a huge unladylike mouthful of noodles. I hid a grin.

"Yeah?"

"Harvar's birthday is this weekend, and Ox was going to throw a party for him on Saturday. He invited us. If you want to go, of course?"

I stiffened and glanced down at her. She was looking up at me with an expression that I could only describe as resigned. Like she had already guessed my answer.

"I'd…rather…not," I ground out, trying and failing to sound indifferent.

"Why do you seem to hate Harvar so much?" Maka wondered. "You guys used to be great friends; Harvar still wishes you'd hang out more. What happened?"

What happened? Holy shit, only a _lot_. She'd become my partner, and so she'd tag along when we all hung out together. Harvar started hanging out a lot with just her, talking about dumb useless things like schoolwork or what career they might want if they weren't a meister and weapon. He slyly tried to convince her to leave _me_ and be _his_ partner. And…And I…

I shrugged. "I don't know what you're talking about. Nothing happened. If you want to go to Harvar's party, go right ahead. I'll probably just hang with Blackstar or something."

"Blackstar's going, Soul," Maka sighed, downing the rest of her ramen faster than should have been possible. "So is Kid, Ox, Liz, Pati, Tsubaki, and Jackie. Oh, and he convinced Kim to come, too. Hiro was invited, but no one thinks he'll show."

"Alright, then I'll just call K—"

"Oh! And Kilik showed up with the twins and said they'll probably be there, too."

Well, damn, then what did _I_ do for my Saturday? Clearly Maka wasn't that concerned; she stood with a loud yawn and went to wash her bowl and chopsticks.

"I'm gonna hit the sack, Soul. G'night," she said softly.

"Yeah, me too" was my reply, but I didn't rise. I sat on the old, musty couch, listening as she let the faucet run, water splashing on her utensils.

Why didn't I like Harvar? Well, he'd always kinda creeped me out, what with the I-feel-nothing aura he exuded and the fact that you could never see his eyes and that he never smiled and was kinda ruthless with words and actions. Yeah, I considered him my friend, but that didn't mean that I wasn't a bit wary of him. And then Maka turned up, and everything changed. Something about her just seemed to draw that guy; her intelligence, maybe? Her tough and fierce demeanor? The fact that they were both considered elite, and yet, if there was a ranking, Maka would be higher than him? It's not like it was a secret at first that she was the first meister at the academy to manage such a perfect Soul Resonance, and that had stunned a lot of people. Even Harvar, for whatever reason, really seemed interested in her.

The only problem was that his interest set my teeth on edge.

"Soul?" said Maka, reappearing from the kitchen, one pigtail gone, and her fingers working the other one out. "I thought you were going to bed?"

"Uh, yeah, I was," I said, rising and stretching.

Maka frowned and walked over, her hands leaving her pigtail and settling on my shoulders. Her piercing green eyes focused on mine, and they flashed momentarily. I knew what she was doing. She was using her Soul Perception. I could have pushed her away. I could've told her to knock it off, or I could've just turned around and walked to my room. Instead, I let her see my soul, the emotions written there as though it was an open book. Her hands tightened on my shoulders. The color in her eyes darkened back to normal, and even a little more, so that they were shadowed.

"Soul…" she sighed, hands leaving my shoulders so that she could wrap her arms around my waist. "Soul, you idiot, you're not going to lose me. Especially not to Harvar."

Her words were muffled, due to the fact that her face was buried in my bare chest. Hesitantly I placed my hands on her lower back.

"There are a lot of weapons out there, Maka. What if you find one that you get along with better? If you can merge souls better with someone else, then what?" If only I had the courage to say that her changing _weapon _partners wasn't what I was afraid of.

She let out a laugh that sounded almost like a choked sob.

"_You're_ my partner, Soul. There's no one I'd rather have. I get along great with Tsubaki and the others, but I get along great with _you_ too."

I snorted. "We argue every other hour."

I felt her lips curve up against my skin.

"Yeah, but that gives us a chance to understand how each other's minds work. And besides, even if there is someone who has a more compatible soul wavelength, I still wouldn't take them. You're my best friend, Soul, and you're not getting rid of me so easily."

I tightened my hold on her, laying my cheek on the top of her head and closing my eyes. I loved these moments with Maka, where she wasn't abusing me with Maka-Chops or using me to cut evil things in half or arguing constantly. When she was quiet and thoughtful and affectionate, I could almost pretend that she felt the same way.

"We really should get to bed, Soul, we do have school tomorrow, and there's a test," she sighed at last.

"What? We have a test tomorrow?" I exclaimed, jumping back as though she'd burned me. She looked at me, half amused, half exasperated.

"Yeah, Soul, we have a test tomorrow. You would know that if you didn't treat school as a place to sleep between naps."

"Well, that settles it," I said. "I can stay up as late as I want, because _I_ do _not_ have school tomorrow. And I sure as hell don't have a test."

Maka gave me a dangerous look.

"I'll be waking you up for breakfast. And you _will_ be outside, on that bike at seven-thirty, and you _will_ be driving us to school. I will knock you out if I have to, but so help me you _will be there_."

"Alright, alright, I give! Fine, I'll go, but we both know I'm gonna fail."

She smiled sweetly and slipped out of my arms to go to her room.

I shook my head and traipsed to my own room, shrugging out of my shirt and falling onto my bed still in my jeans.


	2. One And Only

"Hey, Harvar," I grinned. He nodded at Soul and I in greeting, then turned back to his conversation with Ox. The week had passed by really fast, and we'd just gotten to Harvar's party.

Looking around, I couldn't help but feel a stab of admiration, grudging though it was. Ox was many things—geeky, obnoxious, rude, conceited, over-confident, rude, and a huge flirt—but he could certainly throw one hell of a party. Somehow he'd managed to rent the school's ballroom, and it had been transformed from elegant into a club scene. Multi-colored lights danced over the ceiling, walls, and floor, giving the impression that we had just walked into a kaleidoscope. He'd even gotten a DJ that was putting on track after track of awesome music, and in the far corner, of course, video games were hooked up to a couple huge TV screens. How like Ox not to give up stupid games like _Halo_ or _Dungeons and Dragons_ even on his best friend's sixteenth birthday. Not that Harvar seemed to mind. A lot more people had shown up than I'd been told, but it probably wasn't for Harvar. That pair of foreign exchange students from Australia were tearing up the dance floor, and a few of the punk rocker kids were just hovering near the food table.

"Hey Soul!" I shouted over the loud music. Looking up at him, I realized with some amusement that he was grimacing at the music, which was too techno for him, and he kept blinking at the flashing lights.

"Uh?" he answered, glancing down at me.

"You want something to eat?" I gestured toward the table piled high with food.

That was the dumbest question I could ever have asked. When did my partner _not_ want something to eat? I blinked, and he was already piling food onto a plate. I smiled and followed suit, loading up with a little bit of everything. There was fish—ick—and fruit, cheeses, miniature hot dogs, meatballs, veggies, and chip to go with an amazing salsa. There was also stuff I didn't recognize, like a weird cheesy pastry-type thing and a pale red paste that tasted really good with the chips.

Fifteen minutes later, I was trying to coax Soul onto the dance floor.

"Come _on_," I wheedled, tugging on his arm. "You're a good dancer, Soul, and you _know _it."

"I don't want to dance," he grumbled, tugging back and scowling when he couldn't break my grip.

"But it's good for matching soul wavelengths!"

From the speakers, a new song started, one suited for a…what was it called…a waltz?

"May I interrupt?" asked a smooth voice behind me. I jumped and spun around, nearly smacking Harvar.

"Don't scare me like that!" I exclaimed, clutching my chest. Harvar raised an eyebrow.

"I'm sorry. I did not intend to startle you," he answered in that robotic way that he usually talked. "May I have this dance?"

He held out a hand. I glanced back at Soul; he was glaring fixedly at a point slightly above my head. Well, if he wouldn't dance with me, I might as well join Harvar.

"Um, I guess, but—"

"No."

I looked at Soul.

"Why not?"

"You'll break one of your ankles in those heels."

"I'll be _fine_."

"And you don't need to match wavelengths with Harvar; he's not your partner."

I sighed. _This again?_

"Soul," I said seriously, walking right up to him and putting my hands on his shoulders. "There's nothing for you to be worried about. You're my partner. My _only_ partner. But I just want to dance, and you don't. Relax, Soul."

"So…" Harvar prompted.

"Sure, but you know I'm not very good at the waltz yet," I laughed, taking his hand and allowing him to lead me onto the dance floor.

"It's just another lesson," he said dismissively.

He spun me around to face him, putting one hand on my waist and pulling me close. With his other hand he took mine.

"Put your other hand on my shoulder," he instructed. I did. "Now, just follow my lead. It's easy."

He was right; it was easy. The only part I stumbled on was when he sent me spinning the first time. After that, it was a lot of fun.

"See? You're waltzing," he said, then he winced as I accidentally stepped on his foot.

"Sorry," I said, chagrined.

"It's fine," he answered. Then he glanced over my shoulder and smirked. "Soul looks like he wishes to disembowel me."

"Yeah," I sighed. "I'm sure he does. I still don't get why, though."

"You don't?" asked Harvar in surprise; a rare show of emotion. "You don't have any idea?"

I looked at him through narrowed eyes.

"No. But you do?"

Harvar gave a sly grin and spun me out, keeping my hand so that he could whip me back in.

"I have a pretty good guess, yes." He dipped me as he said this. "And this is certainly not going to help."

And he kissed me. It wasn't a soft, gentle kiss either; his lips pressed hard to mine, moving in a rhythm I couldn't for the life of me follow.

"Just play along," he mumbled, his words whispering over my mouth.

He'd just parted his lips against mine, and, trusting him, I followed his lead, when he was suddenly gone. I staggered, becoming aware of the loud wolf calls and blushing furiously. Then I looked around, and saw Harvar dangling half a foot of the ground by the front of his shirt from my partner's clenched fist. When had Soul gotten taller than him?

Despite the situation, and Soul's infuriated glare, Harvar was…_laughing_. Really, truly laughing.

"What the hell are you playing at, you stupid spear?" Soul growled. The room quieted faster than if Medusa had just walked in.

Harvar waved him off indifferently. "All I did was kiss Maka, Soul Eater. Nothing wrong with that. Unless you have a problem with it?"

Soul scowled, opened his mouth…and closed it again. his gaze narrowed, and he dropped the spear wordlessly.

"That, Harvar," he said, and I thought I caught the corners of his mouth twitch, "was an extremely _uncool_ thing to do. Especially for three years straight."

Huh?

"Yes, well, I thought you could use a push," Harvar answered, still smiling. "Why did it have to take you so damn long, though? I have better things to do with my time than get you out of the closet."

"Whoa, Harvar, that does _not_ sound cool," said Soul, then he raised his voice slightly. "I am _not_ gay. Or Bi," he added when Blackstar's mouth opened. The blue-haired assassin pressed his lips together.

"Will someone mind explaining what the hell you two are talking about?" I demanded, feeling more and more lost.

"Remember I told you to play along?" said Harvar. "That's because that scene right there was just pretend; I have been trying to get a rise out of Soul for three years. Jealousy is one of the best ways to do that. But although he was very persistent, I finally won."

"Okay…Still confused."

Soul sighed, and, casting a look around at all the onlookers, threw a comment at Harvar. "Couldn't have done it discreetly, could you?"

Harvar shook his head.

"Soul? What is going on?" I demanded.

His scarlet gaze raked over me, and suddenly I became aware of the fact that I was wearing a rather clingy black-and-red jersey dress that stopped just above my knees and had a low scoop neck. He approached me, coming closer and closer until there were only centimeters between us and I had to crane my neck to look at him.

"You know why it pissed me off whenever you went off with Harvar?" he said softly, bending down so that his lips brushed the tip of my ear.

I nodded wordlessly.

"Because Harvar seemed so damn in to you all the time, and that did so _not_ sit well with me. I didn't want anybody going after you."

"Why?" I asked, suddenly angry. "Am I not allowed to date?" Never mind the fact that I had never considered that particular option with Harvar.

"Oh, no, you are," said Soul quietly, and I heard a smile in his voice. "But only me."

With a speed that belied his usual lethargy, he had pressed his lips to mine in a soft but heated kiss. The moment his mouth touched mine I felt a wild spark of passion at the point of contact, something I had neglected to feel with Harvar. A wild fire started beneath my skin, too, and it somehow guided my hands up his chest, around his neck, to tangle in his unruly white hair. I'd imagined being with Soul like this more times than I could count, but I'd never put much stock into that hope, for obvious reasons. And yet, here he was, right now, kissing me like he was dying and I was the only thing that could keep him alive, like he was never going to stop. I reciprocated his ferocity and his passion, blood roaring in my ears and my heart beating so hard it was as though it was trying to break free of my ribs.

In that moment, something completely amazing happened. I felt Soul's wavelength merge completely with mine, creating a bright, hot, sizzling aura of energy that was undistinguishable as mine or his. It was like I was in his mind; I could see myself for a moment, feel _my_ lips, feel the joy that filled him as he pulled my tiny frame against his larger one.

I pulled away first, gasping, and that strange connection broke. Looking around, I saw tons of people staring, and some dark corner of my mind registered that our merging wavelengths hadn't just been inside us; the spectacle had been totally tangible, visible, and it seemed like it had scared the living daylights out of some people. When I looked back up, Soul was already watching me, his bright ruby red eyes hooded and glazed over.

"Only me," he repeated.

I smiled and wrapped my arms around his shoulders; his arms slid around my waist and lifted me into the air.

"Only you," I agreed. "How many times do I have to tell you that?"


End file.
